Quincy PD and Norfolk County DA only organizations issuing official updates

(photo credit: Animal Rescue League of Boston)

Within hours of appealing to the public for information, investigators had several leads in the Puppy Doe case which they continue to pursue. Special note: The Quincy Police Department and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office are the only organizations issuing official updates on the case to the public and the media.

Everyone at the ARL remains hopeful on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.

We also wanted to take a moment to thank all the people we’ve heard from, offering support not only for our efforts in her case, but also the work we do all year long to prevent animal cruelty and neglect.

The level of abuse in the Puppy Doe case is the worst we have seen in a very long time, yet every day we assist in cases which are equally as heart-breaking and tragic. Sadly, the ARL assisted in over 1,500 cruelty and neglect cases in Massachusetts last year—most of which never made the headlines.

To date, we’ve received over $35,000 for law enforcement efforts on behalf of Puppy Doe and others like her. We don’t receive public funding for any of the work we have done and continue to do in this case, and feel humbled by the generosity of so many.

Working with the Quincy Police Department, we offered a $5,000 reward late last Friday with the intention of keeping the momentum in the flow of information going through the weekend. Of the funds donated to us on behalf of Puppy Doe to date, $5,000 will go to the reward and the remainder will go to preventing future cases of animal suffering, cruelty, and neglect.

While we have no plans to increase our reward amount, there are other organizations independent of the ARL that have offered rewards for information in the case.

We recognize you have many choices available and understand if you would like to give specifically to a reward fund. We urge you to use due diligence in evaluating the organizations collecting reward funds to make sure they are a legitimate non-profit organization.

When someone asked us the other day if we felt surprised by the magnitude of the response to the case of Puppy Doe, we answered yes and no.

Yes, in that we didn’t expect the instantaneous outpouring of support and concern for her, and the issue of animal cruelty in general.

At the same time, though, it’s not that surprising.

In our line of work, we see the tremendous impact animals have on people—in big and small ways—every day. Whether it’s the companionship they provide; the fun and laughter they bring to family life; or assistance in day-to-day living and work, animals mean a great deal to us.

So when something so horrific happens to an animal that had no way to ask for help, it makes us all want to stand up and shout on her behalf.

[...] and injured in a way that authorities likened to medieval torture. She was euthanized August 31. The Animal Rescue League of Boston described the “level of abuse [as] the worst we have seen in a very long time” and [...]